Curated by
Ka Chun Yu — who received his Ph.D. from the University of Colorado Boulder in
2000 and is DMNS’ chair of the Space Sciences department — The Science Behind Pixar is an immersive experience where guests can
understand how technology actualizes the artist’s inspiration.

“These tools
include computer programming, obviously, but also mathematical functions to
help model and animate characters and objects — their physics, and their
biology that’s needed to simulate how things look and how they move,” Yu says.
“And, perhaps, most importantly, the physics of light and reflection and
refraction.”

With 50
interactive elements — from artwork, videos and audio to the ability to
animate, light and create stop-motion shorts — The Science Behind Pixar is a delight. Like the finely tuned movies Pixar
makes, the labor and the love behind DMNS’ exhibit is potent.

The Science Behind
Pixar begins with a movie, short
and sweet, that lays out how Pixar makes a movie; from a simple line drawing of
how Woody (Toy Story) swings his arms while he walks to the fully
realized Land of the Dead (Coco). They call this process the “Pixar Pipeline,” and
when you enter DMNS’ main room, you enter the Pixar Pipeline.

From here on
out, you choose your own adventure. As DMNS senior media producer Greg
Koronowicz explains, “Animation is a non-linear process.” There are major
signposts along the way — modeling, rigging, surfaces, sets and cameras,
animation, simulation, lighting and rendering — but you don’t have to visit
them in any particular order to understand how a movie comes together. Makes
sense — rarely does Pixar move from one step to the next when making a movie,
and a 360-degree exhibit at the center of the room illustrates this process
perfectly.

But, if you want to start at the beginning, turn right and go to the case of character models. For over a century, animators have used physical models to help them understand how to animate the contours and shadows of a character. How would Collette’s nose look when she turns to profile (Ratatouille)? Check the model. How deep of a shadow would Heimlich’s rolls cast on his body (A Bug’s Life)? Check the model.

Next, head to the rigging section: the process of animating bones, joints and muscles to create believable expressions of emotions. The station has a large screen showing Jesse’s face and a series of nine sliders (Toy Story 2). Those sliders control Jesse’s facial “muscles.” Move each one, and you’ll get an idea of how much work goes into a simple smile. Imagine the work involved when they crafted “When She Loved Me.”

And while
every station is engrossing, the lighting section might be the exhibition’s
highlight. For Pixar, lighting doesn’t just mean creating and controlling
light; it means creating and controlling the right light. When Arlo (The Good Dinosaur) is bathed in bright sunlight, it is not the same sunlight Dory (Finding Nemo)
sees filtering through seaweed. Desert sunlight does not shine through
Syndrome’s dark lair (The Incredibles) anymore than Mater (Cars) rumbles
through the candy-colored memory balls of Riley’s mind.

Light creates
space, and it creates mood. Using both a physical and a computer-generated
model, guests can manipulate various dimmer switches to adjust the lights in
Carl and Ellie’s living room (Up). Crank the sunlight and lamps up as far as
they’ll go, and you can practically see the two lovebirds sitting in their
chairs — his boxy and squat, hers curvaceous and tall — holding hands while
reading. Slide those same levers to the left, and Ellie’s lamp cast a pall over
the room. Suddenly, a bicycle built for two now carries only one.

There’s more
to do and see at The Science Behind
Pixar than you can manage in a
single session. TVs and artwork surround each station, showing the work in
every possible stage of creation. It’s not like walking around inside Wall-E, Inside Out or
Ratatouille; it’s like walking around the collective brain
that made those movies. You see their inspiration unfolding as you walk from
one station to the next, and you feel their creativity exploding with each
technological advancement. To paraphrase Pixar co-founder Ed Catmull: It’s
people, not computers, who make Pixar movies.